You’re 47 minutes into a demo.
It’s going well. The stakeholder is nodding. The champion is smiling.
And then, just before you hit the price slide, someone jumps in:
“This is great… but your pricing is way off. We’re looking at something 40% lower.”
What happens next doesn’t depend on your product.
It depends on your pulse.
“In negotiation, the most emotionally stable person usually wins.”
— Chris Voss, Never Split the Difference
🧠 Emotions Drive Logic
We like to think our buyers are logical. But neuroscience disagrees.
All decisions — even B2B — are made emotionally first. Logic just justifies what emotions want.
So when you panic, react defensively, or rush into justifying, you trigger:
- Distrust
- Desperation
- Discount requests
But when you stay calm, pause, and smile — You give the buyer space to explain, self-correct, and even come back to your side.
A Story from My Early Years
I was 3 months into my first job and a large B2B sales opportunity appears.
We had done 4 meetings, 2 solution walk-throughs, and a full proposal. All set for the Purchase order. I was on seventh cloud, still ninth cloud is two steps above.
On the final review call, the client said:
“Frankly, we love what you’re offering. But your price is almost 30% above the other vendor. You’ll need to match it.”
All I did was that I offered 30% discount, and later on, this deal was a mental and loss making venture. Total waste of time and image across the sales and finance teams.
Today, if I am put in same spot, I will handle it differently
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I will take a deep breath. I will smil. And I will say:
“Thank you for saying that openly. Can I ask — what’s the risk to you if you choose based on price alone?”
Silence.
Then the CIO spoke.
“Honestly? If implementation fails, we’ll be blamed. And your approach seems more accountable.”
We didn’t match the competitor.
We got the deal.
🧘 Calm Isn’t Passive — It’s Powerful
Remaining calm:
- Slows the moment down
- Gives space for truths to emerge
- Shows confidence and control
“The moment you look like you’re trying to win, you’ve already lost the frame.”
— William Ury
🧭 Saurabh’s Playbook for Emotional Control
Anchor Yourself Before the Call
Ask: “What’s the worst that can happen today?” Accept it. You’re free.
Pause Before Responding
Count to 3 in your head before speaking — especially when challenged.
Turn Pressure into Questions
Replace reactions with curiosity:
“That’s an interesting view. What makes you say that?”
Smile When You Want to Defend
It disarms the buyer and resets the room.
Never Justify. Clarify.
Say: “Let me share the thinking behind that approach.” Not: “Here’s why we did it…”
Closing Thought:
The most dangerous thing you can do in a negotiation is react fast.
The most powerful thing? Stay calm and listen slower.
Because when you stay calm —
They trust you.
They talk more.
And you win without needing to win.
“Negotiation is less about the right answers and more about emotional presence.”
— Saurabh Chauhan
Drop your wisdom and let people learn from your experiences.
